Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-12-15
ALLAN QUARIERNAIN
A BROWNING CITY

eaying Umsiopogaas to hold the horses.
ihobbied to the spring and drank deep
Of its sweet waters | had had nothing
Int single mouthful of wine since mid
dav when the battle began, and | was
parched up, though my fatigue was too
great to allow me to feel hungry. Then,
having laved my feyered head and hands,
returned and the Zulu went and drank.
Next we allowed the horses to take a cou-
pie of mouthfulS each-no more; and oh,
what struggle we had to get the poor
beasts away from the water! There were
yet two minutes, and l employed it in
hobbling up and down to try and relieve
my stiffness, and inspecting the condition
OF the horses. My mare, gallant animal
though she was, was evidently much dis
treSSed: she hung her head. and her eye
looked sick and dull; but Daylight, Nylep-
that's glorious horse-Who, If he is served
Alright, should, like the steeds who saved
the great Rameses in his need, feed for the
rest of his days out of golden Manager
was still, comparatively speaking, perfect
ly fresh, Notwithstanding that he had by
far the heavier weight to carry. He was
tucked up" indeed, and his legs were
weary, but his eye was bright and clear,
and he held his shapely head up and gazed
out into the darkness around him in a way
that seemed to say that whoever failcr, ne
was good for those five and forty miles
that vet Law between us and Milosis. Then
Gmslopogaas helped me into the saddle
and-vigOrOuS old savage that he WaSl-
vaulted into his own without touching
stirrup, and we were off once more, slowly
at first, till the horses got into their stride,
and then more swiftly. So we passed over
another ten miles, and then came a long,
weary rise of some six or seven miles, and
three times did my poor black mare near
ly come to the ground with me. But on
+hat lc1,o 70 -al1 -
gether, and ratified down the slope with
long, convulsive strides, breathing in
gaspS. We did that three or four miles
more swiftly than any since we had started
on our wild ride, but felt it to be a last
effort, and | was right. Suddenly my poor
horse took the bit between her teeth and
bolted furiouSly along stretch of level
ground for some three or four hundred
yards, and then, with two or three jerky
strides, pulled herself UP and fell with
crash right onto her head, ] rolling myself
free as she did so. AS / struggled onto
my feet, the brave beast raised her head
and looked at me with piteouS bloodShot
eyes, and then her head dropped with
groan and she was dead. Her heart was
broken.
Umslopogaas pulled up beside the car
cass, and | looked at him in dismay. There
were still more than twenty miles to do by
dawn, and how were we to do it with one
horse? 1t seemed hopeless, but had for
gotten the old Zulu's extraordinary run
ming powers.
Without single word he sprang from
the saddle and began to hoist me into it.
What wilt thou do?'' / asked.
Run" he answered, Selling my stirrup
leather.
Then or we went again, almost as fast
as before; and oh, the relief it was to me
to get that change Of horses! Anybody
who has ever ridden against time will
know what it meant.
Daylight sped along at q long stretching
hand-gaIlop. giving the gaunt Zulu a lift
at every stride. 1t was a wonderful thing
to see old Umslopogaas run mile after mile,
his lips slightly parted and his nostrils
agape like the horses Every five miles
or SO we stopped for few minutes to let
him get his breath, and then flew on again.
.'Canst thou go farther,''I said, at the
third OF these stoppages, ''or shall | leave
thee to follow me?"
He pointed with his AK to dim mass be-
fore US. 1t was the Temple of the Sun, not
more than five miles away.
81 reach it or I de-" he gasped
Oh, that last five miles! The skin was
rubbed from the inside of my legs, and
gulsh. Nor was that all. Twas exhausted
with toll, want of food and sleep, and also
suffering very much from the blow | had
received on my left side; it seemed as
though q piece of bone or something was
slowly piercing into my lung. Poor Day
light, too, was pretty nearly finished and
no wonder. But there was smell of dawn
in the air, and we might not stay; better
that all three of Us should die upon the
road than that we should linger while
there was life in us. The air was thick
and heavy, as it sometimes is before the
dawn breaks, and.another infallible sign
In certain parts of ZI-Vendis that sunrise
is at hand-hundreds of little spiders pend
ant on the end of long tough webs were
floating about in it. These early-rising
creatures, or rather their webs, caughtup-
on the horses and our own forms by
scores, and, as we had neither the time nor
the energy to brush them off, we rushed
along covered with hundreds of long grey
threads that streamed out yard or more
behind us-and a very strange appearance
they must have given us.
And now before us are the huge brazen
gates of the outer wall of the Browning
City, and a new and horrible doubt strikes
me: What if they will not let us in?
open! Openp' / shout imperiously, at
the same time giving the royal password.
open! open! messenger, a messenger
with tidings of the warp
What neWs?" cried the guard. "And
who art thou that ridest SO madly, and
who is that whose tongue Tolls out"-and
it actually did-"and who runs by thee
like dog by chariot"
1T is the Lord Macumazahn, and with
him is his dog, his black dog. Openl openl
| bring tid1ngs!'
The great gates ran back on their roll
ers, and the drawbridge fell with rat
ting crash, and we dashed on through the
one and over the other.
What news, my lord, what news?" cried
the guard.
'Incubu rolls Sorais back, as the wind a
cloud, | answered, and was gone.
One more effort, gallant horse, and yet
more gallant mani
So, fall not now, Daylight, and hold thy
life in thee for fifteen short minutes more,
old Zulu war-dog, and We shall both live
forever in the annals of the land.
On, gathering through the sleeping
streets. We are passing the Flower Tenn
pie now-one mile more, only one little
mile-hold on, keep your life in We, see the
houses run past of themselves. Up, good
horse, up, there-but fifty yards now. Ali
you see your stables and stagger on gal
lantly.
THANK God, the palace at lastt" and
see, the first arrows OF the dawn are strik-
ing on the temples golden dome. But
shall get in here, or is the deed done and
the way barred?
Once more | give the password and shout
Open Ope7l''
No answer, and my heart grows very
faint